Career and Education Opportunities for Secretaries in New Orleans, Louisiana

Secretaries can find many career and educational opportunities in the New Orleans, Louisiana area. About 36,530 people are currently employed as secretaries in Louisiana. By 2016, this is expected to grow 7% to 39,080 people employed. This is better than the national trend for secretaries, which sees this job pool growing by about 4.6% over the next eight years. Secretaries generally perform routine clerical and administrative functions such as drafting correspondence, scheduling appointments, organizing and maintaining paper and electronic files, or providing information to callers.

The income of a secretary is about $11 hourly or $24,620 yearly on average in Louisiana. In the U.S. as a whole, their income is about $13 hourly or $29,050 per year on average. Secretaries earn less than people working in the category of Secretarial generally in Louisiana and less than people in the Secretarial category nationally.

There are seven schools within twenty-five miles of New Orleans where you can study to be a secretary, among thirty-two schools of higher education total in the New Orleans area. Given that the most common education level for secretaries is a high school diploma or GED, you can expect to spend only a short time studying to be a secretary if you already have a high school diploma.

CAREER DESCRIPTION: Secretary

Secretary video from the State of New Jersey Dept. of Labor and Workforce Development

Secretaries operate office equipment such as fax machines and phone systems, and use computers for spreadsheet and other applications. They also make copies of correspondence and other printed material. Equally important, secretaries have to answer telephones and give data to callers or transfer calls to appropriate individuals. They are often called upon to greet visitors and callers, handle their inquiries, and direct them to the appropriate persons in line with their needs. They are expected to learn to operate new office technologies as they are developed and implemented. Finally, secretaries schedule and confirm appointments for clients or supervisors.

Every day, secretaries are expected to be able to listen to and understand others in meetings. They need to articulate ideas and problems. It is also important that they read and understand documents and reports.

It is important for secretaries to conduct searches to discover needed data, using such sources as the Internet. They are often called upon to order and dispense supplies. They also open and distribute incoming mail and other material and answer routine letters. They are sometimes expected to locate and attach appropriate files to incoming correspondence requiring replies. Somewhat less frequently, secretaries are also expected to operate office equipment such as fax machines and phone systems, and use computers for spreadsheet and other applications.

Secretaries sometimes are asked to establish work procedures and schedules and keep track of the daily work of clerical staff. They also have to be able to collect and disburse funds from cash accounts, and keep archives of collections and disbursements and prepare and maintain paper and electronic filing systems for archives and other material. And finally, they sometimes have to greet visitors and callers, handle their inquiries, and direct them to the appropriate persons in line with their needs.

Like many other jobs, secretaries must be reliable and be thorough and dependable.

Bookkeeper. Compute, classify, and record numerical data to keep financial records complete. Perform any combination of routine calculating, posting, and verifying duties to obtain primary financial data for use in maintaining accounting records. May also check the accuracy of figures, calculations, and postings pertaining to business transactions recorded by other workers.

Clerk. Compile data, compute fees and charges, and prepare invoices for billing purposes. Duties include computing costs and calculating rates for goods, services, and shipment of goods; posting data; and keeping other relevant records. May involve use of computer or typewriter, calculator, and adding and bookkeeping machines.

EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES: Secretary Training

Louisiana Technical College-West Jefferson Campus - Harvey, LA

Louisiana Technical College-West Jefferson Campus, 475 Manhattan Blvd, Harvey, LA 70058. Louisiana Technical College-West Jefferson Campus is a small college located in Harvey, Louisiana. It is a public school with primarily 2-year programs and has 276 students. Louisiana Technical College-West Jefferson Campus has an associate's degree program in Administrative Assistant and Secretarial Science.

Nunez Community College - Chalmette, LA

Nunez Community College, 3710 Paris Rd, Chalmette, LA 70043. Nunez Community College is a small college located in Chalmette, Louisiana. It is a public school with primarily 2-year programs and has 1,470 students. Nunez Community College has a one to two year program in Administrative Assistant and Secretarial Science which graduated four students in 2008.

Delgado Community College - New Orleans, LA

Delgado Community College, 615 City Park Ave, New Orleans, LA 70119. Delgado Community College is a large college located in New Orleans, Louisiana. It is a public school with primarily 2-year programs and has 14,450 students. Delgado Community College has an associate's degree program in Administrative Assistant and Secretarial Science which graduated fourteen students in 2008.

Louisiana Technical College-Lafourche Campus - Thibodaux, LA

Louisiana Technical College-Lafourche Campus, 1425 Tiger Dr, Thibodaux, LA 70301. Louisiana Technical College-Lafourche Campus is a small college located in Thibodaux, Louisiana. It is a public school with primarily 2-year programs and has 388 students. Louisiana Technical College-Lafourche Campus has less than one year, one to two year, and associate's degree programs in Administrative Assistant and Secretarial Science which graduated one, four, and three students respectively in 2008.

Delta College Inc - Covington, LA

Delta College Inc, 19231 N. 6th Street, Covington, LA 70433-8947. Delta College Inc is a small college located in Covington, Louisiana. It is a private for-profit school with primarily less-than 2-year programs and has 125 students. Delta College Inc has a less than one year program in Administrative Assistant and Secretarial Science.

Louisiana Technical College-River Parishes Campus - Reserve, LA

Louisiana Technical College-River Parishes Campus, 181 Regala Pk Rd, Reserve, LA 70084. Louisiana Technical College-River Parishes Campus is a small college located in Reserve, Louisiana. It is a public school with primarily 2-year programs and has 939 students. Louisiana Technical College-River Parishes Campus has a one to two year and an associate's degree program in Administrative Assistant and Secretarial Science which graduated one and two students respectively in 2008.

Louisiana Technical College-Jefferson Campus - Metairie, LA

Louisiana Technical College-Jefferson Campus, 5200 Blair Dr., Metairie, LA 70001-5605. Louisiana Technical College-Jefferson Campus is a small college located in Metairie, Louisiana. It is a public school with primarily 2-year programs and has 1,218 students. Louisiana Technical College-Jefferson Campus has a one to two year and an associate's degree program in Administrative Assistant and Secretarial Science.

LOCATION INFORMATION: New Orleans, Louisiana

New Orleans, Louisiana photo by Krakers

New Orleans is located in Orleans Parish County, Louisiana. It has a population of over 311,853, which has shrunk by 35.7% over the last ten years. The cost of living index in New Orleans, 94, is below the national average. New single-family homes in New Orleans cost $139,700 on average, which is near the state average. In 2008, eight hundred eighty-two new homes were built in New Orleans, down from 1,026 the previous year.

The three big industries for women in New Orleans are health care, educational services, and accommodation and food services. For men, it is accommodation and food services, construction, and educational services. The average commute to work is about 26 minutes. More than 25.8% of New Orleans residents have a bachelor's degree, which is higher than the state average. The percentage of residents with a graduate degree, 10.7%, is higher than the state average.

The unemployment rate in New Orleans is 9.8%, which is greater than Louisiana's average of 7.1%.

The percentage of New Orleans residents that are affiliated with a religious congregation, 44.1%, is less than both the national and state average. All Saints Catholic Church, Iglesia Bautista Getsemani and Mars Hill Missionary Baptist Church are among the churches located in New Orleans. The largest religious groups are the Catholic Church, the Southern Baptist Convention and the United Methodist Church.

New Orleans is home to the Keller Market and the New Orleans Country Club as well as Harris Playground and Hardin Playground. Shopping malls in the area include Carrollton Shopping Center, Read Boulevard Shopping Center and Read Plaza Shopping Center. Visitors to New Orleans can choose from Rampart Street Connection, Lafitte Guest House and HAMPTON INN & SUITES CONV CTR for temporary stays in the area.